Virgin Care boss appointed CEO of mental health provider

The chief executive of the business formerly known as Virgin Care has been appointed CEO of a large independent mental health provider

Vivienne McVey will step down from HCRG Care Group to join St Andrew’s Healthcare in September.

Virgin Care was purchased by Twenty20 Capital in December last year before being rebranded as HCRG Care Group.

Dr McVey co-founded the business in 2006 after working as a GP, and has been chief executive for the last four years.

She joins St Andrew’s at a time of significant change. Over the past few years, the provider has been embroiled in a series of high-profile care scandals, and has faced criticism of its leadership by the Care Quality Commission.

In January 2020, the organisation announced plans to cut its bed base by a third to help improve its troubled inpatient services. The reduction included the sale of one of its hospitals to an NHS trust.

However, that December, the provider was taken out of special measures and rated “requires improvement” by the CQC.

Dr McVey said: “While the charity, like many mental healthcare providers, has some challenges to overcome, I have been very impressed by the dedication and commitment of the staff I’ve met during the recruitment process.

“I’m also very excited about the charity’s future growth plans, especially in community care provision, where my own experiences will, I think, be particularly relevant.”

Dr McVey will take over from Jess Lievesley, who has been in the caretaker role of interim CEO.